Indiana has fired Tom Allen, the successor to former Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, after seven seasons in Bloomington.
Tom Allen is out. Source confirms to IndyStar he has been dismissed after seven years in charge in Bloomington.
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) November 26, 2023
Search for his replacement has begun: https://t.co/MgVrIs78bN via @indystar #iufb
The end of Allen's time with the Hoosiers arrives after a disappointing end to the 2023 campaign that resulted in a 3-9 overall record. Allen achieved only two winning seasons across seven tries at Indiana, the last of which happened during the COVID-shortened 2020 schedule.
Allen's regular-season debut as Indiana's head coach in 2017 ultimately fell apart due to the separate debut of a key figure in recent Ohio State football history: J.K. Dobbins. As a true freshman in his first collegiate game ever on the road in Bloomington, Dobbins handled over 30 touches for more than 200 yards of offense, including over 180 on the ground. Allen's home debut with the Hoosiers ended in a 49-21 victory for Ohio State, and the now-former Indiana head coach never got his revenge against the Buckeyes.
According to the original contract, Allen's firing would have come with a $20 million buyout clause attached that the school would pay out to him over the next four years. Indiana negotiated with Allen, however, to instead pay him $15.5 million that he will receive over the next two years instead.
Allen agreed to a new deal with the school following the 2020 season, in which he led the Hoosiers to a 6-2 record and won Big Ten Coach of the Year and AFCA Coach of the Year honors. He was unable to replicate that success over the past three years, however, in which Indiana went just 2-10, 4-8 and 3-9. He concludes his career in Bloomington with a 33-49 overall record, an 18-43 record in conference play and an 0-3 record in bowl games.
